Followers

Monday, March 02, 2009

Deekline and Wizard - meaty, beaty, big and bootyful

Funny things, letter boxes. Most of the time they're (in the words of the old Yellow Pages ad) just there for the nasty things in life...bills, bills, more bills and ads for dodgy sounding take-away joints (Mad Donor...Pizza The Action...that kind of thing) who'll deliver even dodgier sounding food at 3am. But, once in a while, you get something that lifts the heart and soul. Today a CD landed on the doorstep of Baron Towers that did just that. The product of Deekline and Wizard it's a bewitching mix of soul, rap and disco - think classic Soul II Soul meets Stereo MC's in a warehouse party with Stevie Wonder and you'll be someway there. Opener Bounce and Rebound is an uplifting piano led ragga crank jazz hybrid (you know how I love inventing genres...'ragga crank jazz', that has to be one of the best so far) that's a perfect kickstart (love the female scatting) to an album that's never anything less than 'booty shaking' (check out 'One In The Front'). Happily I have rather a nice booty...no, you can't see it...I'm not that kind of boy...although a cheeky 'webcam' sideline could be a nice little money spinner to see me through my current phase of unemployment...

Anyway, away from visions of my butt (nice though it may be) and back to the music. It's the kind of album that Bassment Jaxx would love to make, cool as fuck but danceable too, with enough of a commercial edge to see it crossover to the mainstream without alienating the uber hip. And that's no mean feat. What' s really refreshing about this album is the use of 'live'/ 'real' instruments together with a dazzling array of vocalists from all over the shop. The press release that came with the album highlights strings from Bulgaria, gospel from the US, Canadian MC's and an Oud player from Iraq. I'm reminded in places of the great Ofra Haza (one of the first 'world' artists who successfully fused Middle Eastern flavas with a more Western beat), echoes exist in 'Baila Baila' for example - one of the standout tracks from an album that has more than it's fair share of 'em. In fact you could say it's guaranteed to get you in the 'oud'...geddit...oh never mind...

Back Up, Coming Through by Deekline & Wizard is out on April 13th on the Against The Grain label.